Growth and Production of As2S3 Waveguides

STTR · Phase: BOTH · Topic DON27TZ02-NV003 · Solicitation 27.TZ

Multiple academic papers have indicated that the reverse mode of the SBS interaction between acoustic phonons and coherent 1.55 µm photons can cause Stoke’s peak gain on RF sidebands. It is desirable to harvest that effect for application in the burgeoning field of RF photonics. However, for that to happen, it is desirable that methods be developed to optimize the growth and etching of quasi-epitaxial As2S3, the material with the largest known SBS coefficient. In order to achieve low optical loss, achieving extremely low surface roughness of as-deposited films (< 10 nm rms roughness) is required plus ways to preserve that in producing waveguides of around 100 nm thickness and with high confinement bottom and top cladding. While atomic layer deposition (ALD) growth has produced other chalcogenides with very flat, conformal surfaces, it has not been used for As2S3; moreover, that other material was amorphous as deposited and drastically changed optical properties when crystalized. It may be that highly directional growth onto pre-etched substrate mesas produce better performance waveguides in which to produce amplification. Lastly, it is essential to demonstrate a way to achieve extremely low loss signal transfer on and off the die if RF photonics is to outperform conventional electronics in the future. Phase I proposals for this STTR topic shall name the deposition and etching techniques that will be developed under the base award and estimate the surface smoothness of both the as-deposited material and the finished waveguides. The work plan must allow the validation of these estimates during the Base award so that the preliminary Phase II plan can define with good certainty the properties achievable in Phase II if awarded. Measurement of the optical properties of completed waveguides during the Base award is highly desirable. First demonstrations of a method of coupling to the waveguide with losses under 2 dB in the Phase I Option is also desirable. A work division where the non-profit develops the fabrication technology and the company develops the many GHz wide band amplifier and coupling technologies is one possible division of the work. A clear discussion of the dependencies and determinants of the ultimate performance as a photonic amplifier should be included in the initial proposal. It is highly desirable that, by the effort’s end, how feasible it is that by varying the optical carrier power in and the waveguide length, RF signal gains from 5 to 20 dB can be achieved with total noise figures including all coupling losses of <6 (threshold, 3 objective) dB. Paths to wafer scale fabrication yield above 90% should also be defined.

SBIR/STTR 은 미국 중소기업만 지원할 수 있습니다(Small Business Act 법정 요건). • 계열사를 포함해 상시 종업원 500명 이하 • 미국 시민 또는 영주권자 1인 이상이 50%를 초과해 직접 소유·지배 • 미국 내 사업장을 두고 주로 미국 내에서 사업을 영위할 것 • 수행책임자(PI)의 주된 근무처가 신청 기업일 것 출처: https://www.sbir.gov/faq/eligibility-requirements

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🇺🇸 United States

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None

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No

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미국 내 사업장을 두고 미국 시민·영주권자가 50%를 초과해 소유한 중소기업만 신청할 수 있습니다(법정 요건).

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https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/

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https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/

Last fetched

2026.11.06

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First seen

2026.11.06

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